CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nueces County Drainage District No. 2 Commissioner Jesus "Jesse" Rojas will not be required to sit for a deposition following a Monday court hearing.
28th District Court Judge Nanette Hasette ruled the Nueces County Attorney's Office did not present enough evidence to call for that deposition.
Rojas did not attend that hearing, which was the second hearing to discuss the matter after he failed to attend the first hearing.
At issue is whether he meets the legal requirements to hold the office of drainage commissioner. In February, Rojas admitted to KRIS 6 News that he did not live in his district.
Rojas said he lived on family-owned land in Robstown in District No. 2 until Hurricane Harvey caused a fire in 2017 that destroyed his home and two others.
Since then, he said, he's lived in several rental homes, but he admits his current address is outside his district.
“It’s in Nueces County, but where I am leasing — er, where I — I reside in Robstown," Rojas said in February. "But I’m not living in Robstown right now.”
In May, the Nueces County Attorney's Office asked Rojas to resign, or told him they would begin removal proceedings through quo warranto litigation pursuant to Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 66.
Monday, Matt Dennis with the County Attorney's Office asked Hasette to allow Rojas to be deposed, offering nearly 20 documents into evidence, which Dennis says raised questions as to his eligibility to serve as a drainage commissioner.
One document, in particular, has a Robstown mailing address, but is actually in Banquete and outside the boundaries of the district, Dennis said.
Hasette said the county Attorney's office hadn't fully investigated the matter before requesting the deposition, and denied the request.
